Destiny 2 Rite of the Nine: Release date, Featured Dungeons, Holofoil weapons, more

Rite of the Nine, an all-new event designed for players of all skill levels, is headed to Destiny 2 during Episode Heresy, and it’s packed with Year 1 nostalgia.

Revealed during Bungie’s March 4 livestream, Rite of the Nine features a format that borrows heavily from 2024’s Into the Light update, allowing Guardians to attune to and target 12 classic weapons.

All of the weapons earnable from Rite of the Nine originally hail from existing Dungeons, with these versions boasting new visuals and updated perk pools. Read on below for everything we know so far about the limited-time affair.

Rite of the Nine release date

Rite of the Nine releases May 6. This date was confirmed by Bungie following the release of Heresy Act 3 on April 1. With Heresy on course to conclude on July 15, 2025, that gives players just over two months to farm the event until Frontiers arrives.

Featured Dungeons & The Third Spire

Destiny 2’s Third Spire social space returns from Year 1 for Rite of the Nine.

So, how does this all work? Put simply, Rite of the Nine will see Guardians revisit tweaked versions of three existing dungeons, each with their own special loot tables.

To get started, you’ll be returning to The Third Spire, the social space originally used for Destiny 2 Year 1’s Trials of the Nine PvP activity. Here, you’ll be able to attune to specific weapons and pick up Bounties from The Emissary, the event’s vendor.

The three Dungeons available for Rite of the Nine’s duration are as follows:

• Prophecy
• Spire of the Watcher
• Ghosts of the Deep

Note that Dungeon availability rotates weekly. It’s currently unknown if all weapons obtainable from the event will be universal drops or be tied to their respective Dungeon.

Guardians will be able to attune to specific weapons to increase their drop rates.

Explorer, Eternity, and Ultimatum Difficulties

Three distinct difficulties will be available for Rite of the Nine, each designed to appeal to players of varying skill levels.

• Explorer: An entry-level difficulty targeted at Guardians who are new to Destiny 2’s endgame or who have never stepped foot in a Dungeon. Features on-screen tooltips to guide Fireteams through mechanics.
• Eternity: Standard difficulty for experienced players.
• Ultimatum: Comparable to Contest Mode difficulty used for Vesper’s Host and Sundered Doctrine. This is the only difficulty in which Guardians will be able to get their hands on Adept Rite of the Nine weapons. Expect a challenge.

Weapons

Split evenly three ways, all 12 Rite of the Nine weapons hail from Prophecy, Spire of the Watcher, and Ghosts of the Deep. Each features a new aesthetic and completely overhauled perk pools. Note that the images and information present in the table below are based on each weapon’s existing counterpart.

Holofoils & Adepts

In a similar vein to Into the Light, Rite of the Nine will feature rarer ‘shiny’ variants of weapons.

Dubbed Holofoil weapons by Bungie during its reveal livestream, these weapons come with a unique, animated skin. Likewise, as with other endgame activities, Adept versions of each weapon can drop with multiple perks in each column, as pictured below.

Like Into the Light, Rite of the Nine will feature special ‘shiny’ weapons, dubbed Holofoils by Bungie.

That’s a wrap on everything we know about Rite of the Nine, but there’s plenty to look forward to while waiting for the event to begin. Heresy Act 2 arrives on March 11, bringing with it several new weapons and the return of Guardian Games.